"A Dynamite Perspective on Laminitis and Founder"
Laminitis is generally defined as inflammation of the laminae, the "velcro" or sensitive tissue that attaches the hoof wall to the inner structures of the hoof. If the inflammation is serious and ongoing, founder can occur; this happens when the laminae separate and allow the inner tissues and coffin bone to sink or rotate out of position. Causes are myriad. Toxins such as poisonous plants in hay or pasture; chemicals such as dewormers or vaccines, pesticides, herbicides; hormonal changes such as pregnancy, pituitary tumor, hypothyroidism and more; viral infection; carb overload from fructans in forage and/or grain overload; concussion; injury to another foot or leg that causes more weight to be put on the supporting leg.
Tom Lane, DVM, Dynamite Distributor and vet emeritus from the U of FL was a keynote speaker on laminitis at our Spring Conference a few years back. Here are some nuggets of wisdom from his lecture:
Laminitis is a medical emergency! It may be just a look in the eye or other subtle signs, horse shifting weight, looking uncomfortable, unwilling to move or slight lameness, swollen coronary band. Colic, vaccination, fever, concussion, foaling, grass or carbohydrate overload and more can trigger it. Horses with cresty necks and fat pads on the body are especially prone, as are horses with small feet. DO NOT WAIT until the next day to see how it goes if you notice any of the subtle signs, pull out the big guns. Give Bute and Banamine, they work better together than either alone, but only use for 48 - 72 hours maximum. Aspirin too for blood thinner, and IV DMSO. If the horse wants to be down, let it be, keep the weight off the laminae to prevent damage. Lots of DynaPro! Use Release on the coronet bands to open up the energy. Laminitis is totally a management disease, in his opinion. Super Sress and Easy Boy are his fave recipe for stopping laminitis in its tracks, in a horse just starting into an acute episode. The C and the magnesium together work wonders. Adding the MSM is of course a bonus, and the DynaPro is essential for optimum gut balance so endotoxins don't figure in. Remember, just a look in the eye is the first sign, if you wait until there is a pounding digital pulse and sore feet, most of the damage is done, he says.
Horse Journal Feb 2002 listed some common actions that they recommend in a laminitis attack, and I share some commentary on these too, from a Dynamite perspective.
Icing or Cold Water
Some feel that icing an acute, hot hoof just shuts down the blood supply. But horses have been observed to stand in cold water if they can, in an acute attack. And if the foot is hot, blood supply has already returned to normal or even above and the damage is done by reperfusion. Cooling the feet is therefore likely a good idea. In chronic cases, warm water soaks have shown to enhance blood flow.
Walking
I am for putting the horse in soft footing and letting them decide if they want to walk, NOT forcing them to exercise. I don't like to see them in stalls, where they tend to just park. Forced walking, especially if they are on Bute, can rip the laminae loose and allow the coffin bone to sink.
Mud and Sand Footing
A soft, deep cushion that still provides some support feels like a good idea to me. Unlike putting them on a hard surfact or putting hard pads on them, to try to force the coffin bone from rotating, yikes. All that does is further compromise circulation in the digital cushion.
Bute/Banamine
In the very first acute stage, this can be a good thing, preferably IV. But keeping them on Bute as is usually recommended, and as this article recommends, has some real side effects. If they are too comfy, they will tend to stand and move around more, when nature might want them lying down. One of my dear friends who was dealing with severe founder after a systemic illness said "I found out there is no such thing as 'just a little Bute.....'". After having them on it for weeks, a founder specialist advised taking them off and they immediately hit the deck and stayed down, but by that time they had rotated from being up and around too much. (Thanks to Dynamite stuff, most of them pulled thru, fyi). They can also develop severe mouth and stomach ulcers in just a few days on Bute. I throw them on MSM about 3 TB a day at the first sign of problems, that kicks in within a few days and you can wean them off the Bute.
Corticosteroids
Big NO. Dex and Pred are powerful anti inflammatories, but they also block the action of insulin and can cause a healthy horse to founder and will make a foundered one worse. They also constrict blood flow.
Ace
This drug does relax blood vessels in the extremities and can thus help in the first few critical days an episode. Be careful with older or shocky horses not to drop the blood pressure. But see the info on magnesium and think of Easy Boy..........stay tuned! Spraying Release on the soles and coronet bands has proven helpful, too. And Relax in the mouth............of course there is going to be anxiety with the pain, that makes the heart race and the blood pressure rise.
Nitroglycerin
This drug causes the blood vessels near the heart to dilate. Usual use in laminitis is small amounts as a paste, topically on the coronet bands. Systemic effects would be too much if administered orally to an older diseased horse, or one in shock. See above, on Release and Relax!
Oiling and Charcoal
OK, we part company here.........oil is usually given to speed thru a grain overload, but by the time the horse is found in the grain bin and the vet gets there, the damage is done and all the oil does is zap the beneficial gut bacteria at the time the horse needs them. Charcoal is tubed to soak up toxins, but again, probably too little too late. DynaPro, and more DynaPro, would be my choice, given as soon as you find the horse in trouble, no matter what the stress is. Digestion is the first thing to go, and endotoxins can poison the whole system as the pH of the gut is disrupted and leaky gut begins to occur. Miracle Clay and/or Excel would also be a good choice if you know you are dealing with toxins, alternated an hour or so after the DynaPro, and then rotating.
Virginiamycin
Another interesting choice, to me.........it is an antibiotic that has proven to target the organisms that produce lactic acid, in case of a carbohydrate overload. But as an antibiotic, it is going to kill off good bacteria too..........hmmmmmm. Again, DynaPro would be my choice. Notice on the label it contains lactic acid? This is in there to feed the lactic-acid-eating bacteria that are already in the gut, so they are all buff and ready to roll when this sort of situation happens.
Sodium Bicarbonate
The idea here is to keep the alkalinity in the hind gut after a carb overload, and neutralize the lactic acid. But again, Clay would be my choice, alternating with DynaPro. Bicarb can really upset the electrolyte balance in the body if you go too whacko with it. Also, bicarb will neutralize stomach acid and prevent proper digestion from happening, as well as causing major water retention from the sodium. High sodium has the potential to suppress potassium, magnesium and calcium. NOT good way to go, and of course this article does not point any of that out.
Magnesium
It is an old remedy, to use Epsom Salts at the first sign of acute laminitis, for the magnesium to relax and dilate blood vessels and keep the circulatory damage from happening in the feet. The effects of magnesium would be similar to using Ace or nitro. But Epsom Salts is mag sulfate, a very strong laxative and purgative and harsh on the gut. Chelated mag for top efficiency and no side effects, and relaxing/calming herbs too.
Ø A protocol is offered in The Treatment of Horses by Homeopathy, authored by British Veterinarian George Macleod.
Ø Consulting a homeopathic veterinarian is always a great idea, if there is not one in your area you may consult www.hvma.com as many will do phone consultations. Using kinesiology or muscle testing may help you to isolate a remedy protocol that will help your horse, too.
The laminitis/founder issue is a huge subject, and this article has barely scratched the surface. Boots, trimming techniques, exercise, footing and more all play a huge part in preventing and managing laminitis. Remember that feet are about "moving forward in life" as much as anything else. See your horses, and yourself, moving forward with ease and comfort; your positive energy will do much to help.
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